[49] - [Video, Public]

[doctor_j_crane]

[There's just the video posting footage, with no lead in or explanation at all. The angle is fairly steady, and you can make out the fact that it's the inmate showers. The very first shot is of Perry Dawsey hitting Rex in the face, before wrenching off Rex's ventilator because it's getting in the way. There's a fair bit of noise. Perry is yelling as he hits Rex.]

"You like that? You fucking like that? How does it feel?"

[You can clearly see Rex struggling, trying to get the ventilator back, before Perry kicks it away. Perry punches Rex a few more times. It's fairly obvious that Rex stops struggling. Then, after all that drama lama, Crane points the video away. You get a few shots of the floor as Crane quickly walks to the door.]

[The angle jerks up as Crane runs into someone. Why, it's Eddie Brock. Who looks more than a little bit surprised.]

"What the hell?" [You so shrill, Eddie.]

[Crane's pretty quick off the mark in replying.]

Everything went according to your plan. You should be happy that it went so well. [Crane says, before the camera angle tilts and he walks past Eddie. The camera feed cuts out.]

[And cuts back in, with a reasonably obvious time skip. Crane's standing in a different corridor, angling the camera at himself.] Well, I think everyone can feel better about the whole nanomite situation. Let it not be said that just because the wardens aren't prepared to fix a situation, there aren't other members of the barge willing to step up to the plate.

[And end video post.]

Comments

[Spam]

[aforger]

"In what way? Be specific." [Arthur would be proud of Eames asking for more specificity. Of course, it's for events past and not those yet to come, so it should make more sense that the details would be thorough. It's more like reading a file than working out a plan. Eames is hoping he won't have to resort to Extraction.] "Why did you film it?"

[Spam]

[doctor-j-crane.livejournal.com]

The usual. Waiting for me in the halls. [Which wasn't untrue. Crane stops pacing at the mention of him filming it. He looks over to Eames.] Why do you think I filmed it?

[Spam]

[aforger]

"How did he threaten you, I mean?" [Eames reaches over beside his chair, grabbing the sleek, black briefcase there. He pops it open, the combination already aligned, and pulls out Crane's file. Then he sets the briefcase aside again and flips open to the first page of basic statistics and facts, feeling better when he has something in front of him. The warden doesn't look up.] "That wasn't the question."

[Spam]

[doctor-j-crane.livejournal.com]

He threatened me verbally. [Crane looks slightly confused. He watches Eames with the papers, but doesn't comment on them. They could be anything, and it saves a lot of uncomfortable eye contact.] If you want a reason, you could probably ask Bruce Wayne. He seemed perfectly comfortable with putting words in my mouth.

[Crane actually sounds angry about that.]

[Spam]

[aforger]

"What did he say to you?" [Eames is losing patience and his tone hardens just a little as he reaches forward to retrieve a pen from the table. Then he begins taking notes. Yeah, just like a shrink. Just to make you uncomfortable. There's a deliberate slowness to each word when he repeats himself:] "Why did you film it, Jonathan?"

[Spam]

[doctor-j-crane.livejournal.com]

[Crane fishes his journal out of his pocket and spend a few seconds getting up the conversation. Then puts it on the table next to Eames rather than passing it to him.]

Because I wanted them all to see it. I wouldn't have filmed it if I was only there for my own gratification.

[Spam]

[aforger]

[Eames gives a nod to acknowledge that he heard Crane before reaching over to pick up the journal. He sighs as soon as he picks it up, but he reads it in silence, his face perfectly still the entire time. Then, after, he sets it down. His voice hardens again.] "I apologize. Perhaps I've been too vague in my questioning. What did Perry say to you that indicated a threat?"

[But he'll address that Bruce thing in a second.] "Who did you want to see the video and why did you want them to see it?"

[Spam]

[doctor-j-crane.livejournal.com]

He said he'd be waiting for me in the hallways. Implying that he'd kill me, just like he was about to kill Rex. [Crane sounds more than a little bit frustrated. He's started pacing again, full of nervous energy.]

I wanted the whole barge to see it. Nanomites effected everyone. Everyone deserved the right to see the kill. And Rex had to be seen. The death means nothing if no one sees it.

[Ultimately, humiliating Rex had been a major factor in Crane's deciding to film it.]

[Spam]

[aforger]

"Death means nothing if no one sees it?" [He asks, his tone implying he's surprised by the sentiment. The warden still doesn't look up and Eames, instead, jots the line down among his notes.]

[Spam]

[doctor-j-crane.livejournal.com]

No. It doesn't. Not on the barge. [Crane pauses. He's still watching Eames write.] Are you taking notes?

[Spam]

[aforger]

"Yes." [Eames finally looks up from his notes, expression much the same level anger as before.] "Anything you wish to add?"

[Spam]

[doctor-j-crane.livejournal.com]

Are you making notes on this for the benefit of the other wardens? [Crane's voice had gone very cold. He couldn't be entirely sure that Eames wouldn't repeat everything that he'd just said to the other wardens. After all, there was no such thing as inmate-warden confidentiality.]

[Spam]

[aforger]

"Absolutely not." [Another sincere, resolute, and absolute decision stated as such. The warden stares at his inmate, not saying anything else. He's still hoping Crane will get to the point where he's more openly honest about everything. Otherwise, if the inmate goes silent, Eames can just get a drink and work on a plan, because right now, he's having trouble seeing any option besides requesting a new warden.]

[Spam]

[doctor-j-crane.livejournal.com]

[Crane doesn't look like he entirely believes Eames, but he goes and sits back down. He's quiet for a second or two before he looks at Eames, actually cracking a smile.]

Do you want to know why I really did it? Honestly?

[Spam]

[aforger]

[Eames glances down at his notes, even as Crane sits down. When the inmate speaks, however, the warden lifts his head to look Crane on directly. He says nothing, but he's very clearly listening.]

[Spam]

[doctor-j-crane.livejournal.com]

Rex is weak. Rex makes plans that always fall apart. Rex never wins. Everything, everything that he does is completely impotent. [Crane says this all with real venom. You might get a sense that it's not really Rex that he's talking about.] And then, and then he uses his nanomites. It works. People die. People show their true colors.

[Crane pauses, then continues.] Then the wardens do nothing. They send him to zero. They take away some filters. They approve of what he's done to the barge, done to me. Then I see Dawsey. And Dawsey has a plan. Dawsey is doing something about him.

[Crane laughs, shaking his head.] It's brutal, this plan. It doesn't mean a thing. But it's something I've done so many times before. Watching as people die. And do you know what? They always have that same look in their eyes. They know. They know that it's about to happen. Rex knew. He knew from the moment he stepped into that room.

[Crane changes tone slightly. Slows up, sounds less aggressive.] I thought the barge should see that. See the look. So that they would know that he'd got what he deserved. Not dying. Just that moment, seconds before Dawsey hit him that one last time when he knew that it was coming.

[Crane stops. Slumps back in the chair.] So that's why I did it.

[Spam]

[aforger]

[Eames watches the entire time, eyes never leaving Crane's. He hears the venom and the malice, he watches the changing in passion and anger to concession and something almost akin to regret for just a moment. Then the inmate resigns himself to exhaustion again, so it seems, and the warden continues to watch in silence.

After a long stretch, the forger finally speaks again. There's no impatience to his voice and it's clear, from the confidence with which he speaks alone, that he knows Crane's file rather well.] "Who was it? Before you came. Batman? Rachel, Falcone? Ra's? Your mother or father, perhaps?" [...] "Who?"

[Spam]

[doctor-j-crane.livejournal.com]

Who was what? [Crane looks uncomfortable for a moment, but continues.] The Rex replacement? The person with the look in their eyes at any given moment?

[He shrugs, sounding almost disinterested.] You know. You know the file. Rachel, yes. Falcone, when I could. Batman, although I didn't see all of it. Patients. An awful lot of patients. Never Ra's though. I didn't get the opportunity. [Crane pauses, considering.] He left me to the Batman. I probably would have dosed him if I'd had the chance.